Although it seems like any excuse would do for a luau, such tropical-themed outdoor celebrations should be in full bloom this weekend, because Monday is the 30th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. With plenty of resources at local party-favor shops and ethnic grocery stores--perhaps catering to the 150,000 estimated Hawaiians in Los Angeles--Angelenos can easily bring a little of the 50th state into their neck of the tropics.

Oahu visitors can experience the music and dance Hawaiians enjoyed before the arrival of white settlers at an event on Feb. 1. “Pre-contact Hawaii: Hula Kahiko, Mele & Oli” will feature an evening of stories, ancient hula, chants and songs at the Mission Houses Museum in Honolulu 's Capitol Historic District. The site preserves two of the oldest houses in the islands, built and used by Christian missionaries who arrived in the early 1800s. The celebration gets underway with a free panel discussion from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by cultural performances.

Women paddlers from around the world will celebrate 40 years of inclusion in the Queen Liliuokalani Outrigger Canoe Races when they return to the Big Island's Kona Coast on Aug. 31. It was in 1973 that wahine ("women" in Hawaiian) first participated in the long-distance competition . Back then, it was a six-mile race. It has since expanded to 18 miles between Kailua and Honaunau. “We knew we could do it,” Blondie Kamaka, one of the pioneering members of the Kai Opua Canoe Club crew, said in a news release.

Women paddlers from around the world will celebrate 40 years of inclusion in the Queen Liliuokalani Outrigger Canoe Races when they return to the Big Island's Kona Coast on Aug. 31. It was in 1973 that wahine ("women" in Hawaiian) first participated in the long-distance competition . Back then, it was a six-mile race. It has since expanded to 18 miles between Kailua and Honaunau. “We knew we could do it,” Blondie Kamaka, one of the pioneering members of the Kai Opua Canoe Club crew, said in a news release.

While the rest of the world celebrates May Day on Thursday, in Hawaii it will be Lei Day. For centuries, leis have been synonymous with "aloha" in Hawaii. Polynesian voyagers carried them in their canoes when they discovered and then settled the islands 1,000 years ago.

Oahu visitors can experience the music and dance Hawaiians enjoyed before the arrival of white settlers at an event on Feb. 1. “Pre-contact Hawaii: Hula Kahiko, Mele & Oli” will feature an evening of stories, ancient hula, chants and songs at the Mission Houses Museum in Honolulu 's Capitol Historic District. The site preserves two of the oldest houses in the islands, built and used by Christian missionaries who arrived in the early 1800s. The celebration gets underway with a free panel discussion from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by cultural performances.

While the rest of the world celebrates May Day on Thursday, in Hawaii it will be Lei Day. For centuries, leis have been synonymous with "aloha" in Hawaii. Polynesian voyagers carried them in their canoes when they discovered and then settled the islands 1,000 years ago.

Although it seems like any excuse would do for a luau, such tropical-themed outdoor celebrations should be in full bloom this weekend, because Monday is the 30th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. With plenty of resources at local party-favor shops and ethnic grocery stores--perhaps catering to the 150,000 estimated Hawaiians in Los Angeles--Angelenos can easily bring a little of the 50th state into their neck of the tropics.